Ministry of the Reichswehr
| Reichswehrministerium (German) | |
Entrance to the Bendlerblock. | |
| Ministry overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | October 1919 |
| Preceding Ministry | |
| Dissolved | 4 February 1938 |
| Superseding Ministry | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Germany |
| Headquarters | Bendlerblock, Berlin |
| Minister responsible | |
The Ministry of the Reichswehr (German: Reichswehrministerium) was the defence ministry of Germany from 1919 to 1938 during the Weimar Republic and early Nazi Germany periods. It was responsible for the Reichswehr under the leadership of the Minister of Defence and based in the Bendlerblock building in Berlin.
The Ministry of the Reichswehr was formed from the Prussian Ministry of War in the aftermath of World War I as part of a centralisation of the armed forces to Berlin from the states of Germany. Its longest serving Weimar-era Defence Ministers were the civilian Otto Gessler (almost 8 years) and General Wilhelm Groener (4 years). It was renamed the Reich Ministry of War in 1935 under the Nazis and led by General Werner von Blomberg as the Minister of War. It was abolished in 1938 and replaced with the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (Armed Forces High Command) under the direct command of Adolf Hitler.